Oddly enough, I'm interested in WW2 history. Think it has to do with what would make a formerly great country become insane. Besides that, though, I think we can all agree that it's better to de-militarize the world. We can start by pointing out the fetishization of weapons, and how it is psychologically destructive.

I know that you must have cute/funny/good/bad/sad experiences with the US Marine...could you please post some Marine-stories for us members to read so we'll know/appreciate our military soldiers better..please please...pretty please. I'll tell you that once my daughter repaired(cured/sewed) a wounded soldier's balls to look normal again.....my daughter is quite popular(as a surgeon) among wounded male soldiers.

Truly appreciate your kind words,yawares

Hi Yawares

That's a great story Yawares. She did an excellent thing. I too respect soldiers, sailors, and so forth. I still sometimes listen to a military cadence or think about it. But the truth is, while I respect these great men and women, it is so much involved in killing that it makes me sad. I have great respect for military personal (and I was one), but it is not something I want to sing the praises of. It is just a necessary part of life... unfortunately. I did it because I needed discipline and pay. The training I received was excellent (best RDC's in the entire U.S. Fleet no doubt in my mind). I can honestly say, I became a warrior. But it is not the kind of thing I would want my kids to do (if I had kids), and so forth. It's too much involved with the world and everything that goes with it.

With metta,

Kevin

Whatever an enemy might do to an enemy, or a foe to a foe, the ill-directed mind can do to you even worse.

That's a great story Yawares. She did an excellent thing. I too respect soldiers, sailors, and so forth. I still sometimes listen to a military cadence or think about it. But the truth is, while I respect these great men and women, it is so much involved in killing that it makes me sad. I have great respect for military personal (and I was one), but it is not something I want to sing the praises of. It is just a necessary part of life... unfortunately. I did it because I needed discipline and pay. The training I received was excellent (best RDC's in the entire U.S. Fleet no doubt in my mind). I can honestly say, I became a warrior. But it is not the kind of thing I would want my kids to do (if I had kids), and so forth. It's too much involved with the world and everything that goes with it.

With metta,Kevin[/quote]------------Dear Kevin,

I have an amazing story for you.......

An Executioner And His Fate (Tambadathika)[www.buddha-brothers.com/chapters/chapter-0801.html

Tambadathika had served the king as the public executioner for fifty-five years; and had just retired from that post. One day, he went to the river for a bath, intending to take some specially prepared food on his return home. As he was about to take the food, Venerable Sariputta, who had just arisen from sustained absorption in Concentration (jhana samapatti), stood at his door for almsfood. Seeing the monk, Tambadathika thought to himself, 'Throughout my life, I have been executing thieves; now I should offer this food to the monk.' So, he invited Sariputta to come in and respectfully offered the food.

After the meal, Sariputta taught him the Dhamma, but Tambadathika could not pay attention, because he was extremely disturbed as he recollected his past career as an executioner. This mental disturbance did not allow him to concentrate properly. Sariputta knew this, and in order to put him in a proper frame of mind, he asked Tambadathika tactfully whether he killed the thieves because he wished to kill them out of anger or hate, or simply because he was ordered to do so. Tambadathika answered that he was ordered to kill them by the king and that he had no ill will or wish to kill. 'If that is the case,' Sariputta asked, 'What wrong did you do?'Thus re-assured, his mind became calmer and he requested Sariputta to continue his sermon. As he listened to the Dhamma attentively, his mind became tranquil and he developed the virtues of patience and understanding. After the discourse, Tambadathika accompanied Sariputta for some distance and then returned home. On his way home he died due to an accident.

When the Buddha came to the congregation of the bhikkhus in the evening, they informed him about the death of Tambadathika. When asked where Tambadathika was reborn, the Buddha told them that although Tambadathika had committed evil deeds throughout his life, because he comprehended the Dhamma, he was reborn in the Tusita deva world. The bhikkhus wondered how such an evil-doer could have such great benefit after listening to the Dhamma just once. To them the Buddha said that the length of a discourse is of no consequence, for one single sentence of the Dhamma, correctly understood can produce much benefit.---------

Buddha's verse

Sahassam api ce vaca anattha padasamhita

Ekam gatha padam seyyo Yam sutva upasammati.

Better than a thousand utterances, comprising useless words, is one single beneficial utterance by hearing which one is calmed. [100]-----

Notes[www.buddha-brothers.com]:

*In this story we can see that the doing of evil and the bad effect that follows both happen in the mind. There is no external factor which determines the punishment. Although wilful killing in itself is wrong, Tambadathika's mind was free of guilt and direct responsibility although at first he was confused and overcome with doubt. When he listened to the Dhamma his mind was freed from many other defilements and he was reborn in a blissful state. This is because rebirth is determined by the state of mind at death. However, he is not free from the effect of killing even though he was not solely responsible for the act of killing. Although rebirth has taken place in the Tusita deva world due to his immediate good kamma, the bad effects of his act of killing can follow later when his good kamma has been all expended. This is the nature of kamma. The only way to completely negate the effect of kamma is to attain Arahanthood (i.e. remove all residual mental defilements). This happened in the case of Angulimala.

************You didn't do anything wrong...you just followed orders...and now you're a buddhist who loves dhamma and you have the rest of your life to do good deeds/meritorious deeds to make up for what you did wrong..most of all you can practice meditation/study dhamma/observe 5 Precepts/8 precepts..NEVER TOO LATE!! yawares/tidathep

Last edited by yawares on Sun Feb 10, 2013 2:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I'm not one to bash my own government day-in and day-out, but I really don't see how the U.S could possibly be the most compassionate country, especially if your weighing that compassion against civilian casualties.

Benjamin wrote:I'm not one to bash my own government day-in and day-out, but I really don't see how the U.S could possibly be the most compassionate country, especially if your weighing that compassion against civilian casualties.

Dear Benjamin,

I might be a naive person, I only want to remember when USA helped other countries in trouble..especially in the past when USA was richer than it is now. I just look at the bright-side and play glad-game like PollyAnna and I follow The Buddha's teaching:

To avoid evil,To do good,To purify the mind,This is the advice of all the Buddhas.

In this case, I avoid looking at the bad things...just looking at the good things that USA used to do...and I have peace of mind.-------My neighbor's 2 dogs always bark loudly for long time almost everyday. But I tell myself not to be annoyed by the dogs' barking ..at least my neighbors are nice/friendly.

I'm not endlessly disturbed by thinking of the unnecessary wars my country has fueled (pun intended), so I wouldn't say it has upset my peace of mind. However, choices made have been disappointing, and I hope to see better ones in the future.

This morning, I watched Youtube...and I liked this marching song...sound just like Thai Navy/Marine songs that I heard/watched the Thai Navy/Marine ceremony with my uncle....I think Thai Navy/Marine copy the songs and uniforms/camouflage from USA.....See? USA has so much influence to the world in almost everything I remembered my uncle telling me that Thai Military bought battle-ships/submarines/fighting-planes etc. from USA at discount price..those days Thailand was quite poor...and USA was very generous to my ex-country